Much of the Maldives as experienced by Maldivians lies undiscovered by travellers. But the country has so much more to offer than luxury resorts: the world's best beaches, spectacular reefs, ancient ruins (Islamic and otherwise), and the candy-coloured capital, Malé, best viewed from a rooftop (or the Holiday Inn pool) as the minarets echo across the city.

Malé is a densely concreted warren where the all the world's problems – political, social, religious and environmental – are played out in microcosm, but beyond it lie 200 inhabited islands where people have been scratching a living in much the same way for thousands of years.

If Malé's maze of alleys and careening mopeds seems insular and impenetrable – you're unlikely to run into the burgeoning death metal scene, for instance – the inhabited islands are the opposite. Islanders are famous for their hospitality and friendliness, and the novelty of foreign visitors ensures a warm welcome. Small guesthouses are springing up all over the country, and a room and local fare can usually be arranged – simply ask at the island office. But don't expect to sunbathe without sparking a scandal that will be talked about for years to come.

Getting around on a budget in a country designed for yacht charter remains a challenge. The timetable for the government's new ferry service – currently being rolled out across the country – remains arcane, while private inter-atoll ferries are mostly unscheduled, unregulated and rely on you asking the captain where he feels like going that particular day. The locals do it, and there's nothing stopping you either. For a leisurely island-hop down to the former British airbase on the southern island of Gan, simply walk along the jetty next in front of Malé's vegetable market and ask anyone loitering on the pier about the ferry to Addu Atoll/Gan.

Once the incredulity wears off, someone will ring the captain for you and let you know the time and cost – usually around £25. Scams are unheard of and your intrepidness will be rewarded with a two-day ferry trip through spectacular tropical scenery, stopping at three inhabited islands for a rare taste of the real Maldives.

Another option is to make a friend or "coffee contact" in Malé before you arrive, be it through the growing community of couchsurfers (couchsurfing.org), an emerging domestic travel agency, such as Elysian Maldives (+960 773 8889, elysianmaldives.com) a blogger or simply on Facebook, to which all Maldivians over the age of eight seem to subscribe. This also gives you a lifeline if you need rescuing from a confused immigration official unconvinced by your lack of resort itinerary – it has only recently become legal for foreigners to roam the country without a permission slip.

Give yourself a day in Malé and make a point of talking to people. English is widely spoken, but you'll have to initiate conversation. Meeting up for coffee (lavazza) is very informal, always welcomed, and usually followed by leisurely chewing of the popular national stimulant, areca nut. Take a day trip to the island of Villingili for superb snorkelling.

An independent holiday in the Maldives needn't be liquor-free. Catch a free transfer from Malé to the only watering hole in town, the soulless airport hotel bar, and commiserate with the expats during Thursday evening's weekly session. Or partake in the nearby Sheraton Full Moon's infamous weekly beach party, transfer £6 (6:30 & 8pm, jetty seven).

You could then perhaps head north to Hanimaadhoo, a long thin island in Haa Dhaalu Atoll with a small landing strip, used as a transport interchange for several upmarket resorts nearby and the occasional intrepid traveller visiting the remote islands of the north. One-way flights with Maldivian (maldivian.aero) from Malé cost about £80.

Basic guesthouse accommodation near the terminal will cost about £22 a night, and you can eat cheap local food at the sleepy airport canteen. A 10-minute stroll will bring you to a warm welcome at the island's village, population 1,000, and you'll have all the sweeping beaches, scenery and serene isolation you'd pay 20 times the price for at the nearby Waldorf Astoria.

The former president's Northern Palace is 10 minutes' walk away in the south of the island, which is in line for massive development given its airstrip.

If you're based in Malé and have the numbers, pool your resources and hire a dhoni (traditional sailing boat) to take you snorkelling on the spectacular coral reefs or surfing the world-class reef breaks, with lunch on an uninhabited "picnic island". Some obligingly have barbecue facilities, and nothing is stopping you from spending the night there under the stars.

Guesthouses charge about £55 a head, but many, such as Cola's guesthouse on Thulusdhoo in Kaafu Atoll close to Malé (book via Elysian Maldives, above) offer diving packages, island sightseeing and surfing trips.

Or you could take a leisurely ferry trip, island-hopping to the former British airbase on the island of Gan. The old RAF barracks have been converted into Equator Village (+960 689 8721, equatorvillage.com) as close as the Maldives gets to a budget resort, but with spectacular diving off what feels like the edge of the world.

There are regular flights to Gan from Gatwick, and connections back to Malé with Maldivian (maldivian.aero).If you don't mind getting your feet wet, hiking the Maldives is also possible (dive shops in Malé sell cheap booties). Last year a group of 150 Maldivians hiked 35km and 103 islands along the rim of Gaafu Dhaalu, one of the world's largest natural atolls, wading through water waist-deep at times.